Naruto, Rise of the Lich King
by Neverswinter
Summary: During the Wave Mission Naruto is killed, or was he, after washing up on the lands of Northrend he meets the the Lich King who decided to make Naruto his Heir and train him in the art of a Death Knight. Strong, Evil and smart Naruto, NarutoHinata story
1. Death is Only the Begining

Hey everyone this is Neverswinter, this is my second Fanfiction i have ever writen so please be nice, but helpful comments and constructed criticism is apresiated, im sorry if there are some small mistakes Dyslexia is a curse hehe,

Disclaimer: i do not own naruto or Warcraft, becasue if i did i would be really rich

Anyway onwards with the story

* * *

Death. Naruto could feels its embrace as Naruto stared down at the arm sticking out of his chest, the arm was covered in blood, his blood and shaking slightly, slowly Naruto looked up to see his Sensei's face, mortified at what he had done trying to kill Zabuza, in his eyes Naruto could see tears beginning to form, as all he could do is give him a soft yet sad smile.

"N-Naruto…I-I …." He started to say but couldn't get the words out his mouth because of the tremendous guilt that now hung about him like a black cloak, behind Naruto was the shocked form of Zabuza looking at how close the hand though the kids chest was to him, to his side on the floor was Haku who was balling her eyes out that Naruto was dying…that Naruto was dying because he had save her and Zabuza.

"Don't worry… (Cough)…Kakashi Sensei…I forgive…you…please take Zabuza…and Haku….back to Konoha… (Cough) and tell the….old man…im sorry" I said slowly coughing up blood occasionally, he then turned to face Haku and gave her a sad smile as Kakashi Sensei placed him onto the floor on the bridge with them all looking at him with sad smiles.

"Kid, you died a worthy death of an honourable Ninja, and you saved me and my adopted daughter for certain doom, I swear to you that we will honour your final wishes and go to Konoha, but first im going to do what I should of done weeks ago" Zabuza said as they heard clapping and hordes of laughter coming from the end of the bridge.

Turing around the all saw Gatou laughing his head off and clapping madly at what he thought was entertainment.

"Ah, that was so touching, I wish I could of watched that over and over again it was so funny, Zabuza, Demon of the mist and his whore saved by a maggot of a brat this keeps getting better and better, men kill them" he said as he stood behind them ready to watch his men annihilate them as they charged forward.

"Kakashi, how much Chakra have you got left?" Zabuza asked as he picked up his mighty blade and rested it over his shoulder.

"About half wh..." he started to ask before Haku yelled at the two of them and jumped out of the way.

"Explosive Tag!" she yelled as one flew towards them and exploded sending Kakashi and Zabuza back a few meters but relatively unharmed, Naruto though was not so lucky as his body flew into the air and over the bridge completely missed by everyone because of the smoke caused by the explosion.

"Nice shot my…" Gatou was saying before a kunai logged itself into his forehead as he collapsed onto the floor dead not moving, killed instantly his guards looking shocked that their paycheck was now dead.

"Nice shot Zabuza, right in the forehead, ouch that must of hurt" Kakashi said as Zabuza smiled turning to him.

"I've wanted to do that since I first started working for him" he said looking at the guard who looked pissed before an arrow landed in front of them, everyone turned around to see Inari and a whole crowd of angry pissed of villages hold an assortment of weapons.

"If you even think of entering our village it will be the last thing you ever do" Inari shouted the villagers cheering him on, never in Kakashi's life had he seen normal people flee so fast.

"_That speed could match Minato sensei's speed with the Flying Thunder god move of his"_ he though before he heard Inari yell something which made his blood go cold.

"Hey where is Naruto-nii-san, I though he was here with you?" Inari said the rest of the villagers searching the bridge for one of their heroes.

"Oh my god, he must have been blown off when the Explosive tag hit the bridge of one of thoughts thugs" Kakashi yelled quickly running to the side of the bridge to see nothing but the waves crashing against the supports of the bridge.

After a frantic 10 minutes of searching Sasuke and Sakura arrived on the scene, it turns out that Sasuke was only knocked out by Haku when he saved the person he considers his brother, the first thing Sasuke noticed was everyone had either frantic or incredible looks of sadness on their faces along with Zabuza and Haku who were helping Kakashi sensei so decided to speak his mind.

"Kakashi Sensei, where Naruto is and why is Zabuza and Haku on our side now?" he asked strangely for him modestly, Kakashi instantly stopped and called for everyone else to stop saying it was to late now, before walking over to Sakura and Sasuke with a grim look on his face, his one showing eye looked like he had just seen his family wiped out, Sasuke knew his face because of was just like his own.

"Im afraid Naruto is dead, he took my lightning blade though the chest trying to save Haku from wasting her life away, when he pushed her out of the way it was too late and I stabbed him though the chest with my Jutsu, in doing so he made Zabuza and Haku turn sides and they have decided to some to Konoha as payment and memory of Naruto, when Gatou attack one of his thugs threw a explosive note, we managed to get out of the way but forgot about Naruto's condition and he was blown over the side of the bridge and it seems we cant find him" Kakashi explained solemnly, behind him Zabuza looked angry that they couldn't find the boys body while Haku looked devastated that the one person other than Zabuza that liked her was gone.

After being told the news the reactions of the two Genin where complete polar opposites, Sasuke looked pissed and sad that the person who was the closest thing to his brother was now gone, while Sakura inside was beaming with happiness that the "Demon" as her parents put it was not dead, this would make them so proud of her, suddenly Sasuke, Kakashi, Zabuza and Haku all tensed up as they heard a voice on the wind, it was dark and full of malice, and echoed like it was in a cave before it started laughing.

"Death is only the beginning…" the voice said before laughing and fading away into nothing, after the voice was gone the four looked at each other and nodded knowing to keep this a secret and tell lord Hokage about it when they returned before looked at Sakura he was happy as can be and looked confused at them for their cryptic looks.

After they gave Naruto a small remembrance where the hole of the wave arrived and a small memorial was built they gang said their farewells to Inari who looked like life wasn't worth it anymore and Tazuna swore he would never forget the young boy for his kindness and bravery, as they watched the group walk away Inari looked at his grandfather before speaking.

"What are we going to name the bridge?" he asked.

"I was thinking 'The Great Naruto Bridge' in memory of the one who gave his life for your freedom" Tazuna said receiving cheers from the crowd and a smiling Inari, little did they know that the boy they named their bridge after would soon change the world.

* * *

After the Explosion at the bridge Naruto had been floating in the sea for about two days, only just staying alive by some miracle or curse, during this time he was in his mindscape talking to the Monstrous Nine tailed fox for the first time since he discovered he was its container weeks earlier.

In front of him was a huge cage gate with the word seal written on a piece of paper over the center of the door, behind the cage where a pair of huge monstrous red eyes a evil smiling face looking back at him.

"**Ah my Jailer final decides to visit me while he's on his last legs, I must say im impressed you survive this long with a hole though your chest even with me healing the wound"** the fox said its eyes seemly piercing into his soul but Naruto did nothing, he was not afraid nor angered by the being trapped within his body.

"So I finally meet the one who attack my village and killed hundreds of Shinobi that night" Naruto said moving closer to the cage door which interested the Fox.

"**You are brave young one, coming close to a Demon-lord with no protection is true bravery, I think its time for you to learn the truth young one, Unlike normal demons I rejected the path of the Burning Legion because I discovered them to be to traitorous for my liking, when I was fleeing, that Arrogant Uchiha, Mandra used his powerful Bloodline to enslave me to attack the village, and you know the rest, I have an idea for the two of us, if you survive this we are no longer enemies, I will give you council and help you rise over thoughs who have betrayed you like that pitiful village of Konoha"** the Fox said with Malice, knowing that the kid had true potential and that he also knew it would work because all of his words were true, he would have his revenge on that Uchiha and made the boy into the ultimate being of darkness while still keeping his essence of self.

"Although I have no reason to trust you, I believe you are telling the truth, so I will take up you deal, now we need to find a way to survive though this, you got any idea fuzzy?" Naruto said with a slight sad smile when he saw the fox gain a tick mark on his forehead before speaking again.

"**Child, call me fox if you would, and sorry I don't have an idea, im trying my best to heal your body and its working quite well but luckily we have reached land so it will make my job a million times easier, if you have used my chakra one more I might have been able to heal you instantly but as of yet you haven't used it enough, you need to awaken little one we have people close to us" **the Fox said before it faded away and Naruto opened it eyes to see he was on a beach.

As he looked around for the possible hostiles he noticed a man coming towards him was a man dressed in black metal armor, with bits of fur around the boots and gauntlets (it's the Lich Kings armor) wearing a black metal helmet which seemed to also acted like a crown, the hair that was visible was pure white, but his eyes are what intrigued him the most, a deep glowing blue with what seemed to be glowing mist which came from the eyes.

As he got closer from the ground erupted several spider like creatures which bowed to him but he ignored them continuing towards Naruto, when he reached the boy he knelt down and looked at the wound before speaking in a voice which reminded him of the fox's and that of death.

"_**What do we have here? A child so young, yet powerful, a wound which should have been fatal yet not, you are not all that you seem child, you would make an excellent heir and apprentice, but we cant have you die on me can you, I the Lich King welcome you child into the Scourge, Kel'Thuzad take him to Icecrown Citadel and begin his training in that of a Death Knight"**_ The Lich King said to the lich which had suddenly appeared on the other side of Naruto, Inside Naruto's mind the Fox had a huge grin on its face, it had heard of the Scourge and he knew if Naruto himself became the Lich King the world would fall under his almighty boots.


	2. Secrets and the Liches newest Aprentice

Konoha

Slowly the group that had set off from the wave was finally approaching Konoha to everyone's pleasure; during there return home Haku and Sasuke almost killed Sakura after she announced that she was glad the Naruto had died because she wouldn't have to worry about that idiot ruining Sasukes dreams and missions

Needless to say everyone who heard her almost killed her; Kakashi had lost all respect for her and his respect for Sasuke had grown because he was mourning someone who he considered his equal and brother like, just like him and Obito before he died, Haku had to be restrained by Kakashi, Sasuke and Zabuza to stop her from killing the pink haired bitch, while Zabuza made the threat that if she said anything like that about the blond hero again he would drive his sword though her head

As they reached the Gates the guards on duty their immediately grabbed their weapons and looked prepared to kill Zabuza before Kakashi appeared between the three of them holding his hands up

"Careful guys, he's on our side now, we have just returned from the mission and we need to see Lord Hokage it's urgent" Kakashi said, immediately they stopped and nodded to him, they knew better than to think a Hero of the third war like Kakashi would lie to them, with that they _Shunshin_ to the Hokage's office

When they arrived at the Office they noticed Sarutobi; the Third Hokage who was known as a god among Shinobi doing the one thing that all Kage feared and an enemy that they couldn't defeat no matter what they tried; Paperwork, when he noticed Kakashi and two of his team members along with a missing Nin and a stranger he raised his eyebrow

"Hello Lord Hokage, im afraid I have terrible news, the mission to the wave turned from C – rank to A – rank when we crossed Zabuza, during this we managed to defeat him the first time but was rescued by Haku here, during this I decided to train the Genin so be ready so they could handle Haku while I dealt with Zabuza, during the battle on the bridge I managed to halt Zabuza with my dogs and started using my lightning blade at the last second Haku jumped in the way to take the blade but was pushed out of the way by Naruto, I didn't have enough to stop the attack and neither did Naruto at getting out of the way" Kakashi began watching the Hokage's face become shadowed with grief as he collapsed into his chair still looking at Kakashi with sad eyes

"After I hit him, Naruto said he was sorry and forgave me and told me to tell you that he was sorry, after that Gatou's thugs turned up and threw a Kunai with an Explosive tag on it at us and as a result Naruto's body fell into the sea, at the end of the battle me and Zabuza searched the sea and the surrounding are but didn't find him, Im sorry Lord Hokage, blame for this completely lies with me" Kakashi said bracing himself for an Angry Hokage and possible the end of his life by said angry Hokage

Sarutobi sighed with a look of incredible sadness on his face, how was he going to explain this to his grandson Konohamaru, who idolized the young teen like an older brother, so much so that his best friends and he himself wore goggles like he did before he got his headband, also how was he going to explain this to Iruka and the friends that Naruto made during his time at the academy, Iruka was like a Father/brother to Naruto, the only person who could make him speak his mind other than himself, and always knew what Naruto though, while his friends would be devastated that one of their own was dead only after a few weeks of graduating

"It's alright Kakashi, I thank-you for bringing me this news, I know it must have been hard for you, but I hold no ill will towards you, you could of easily blamed it on Zabuza and gotten away with it, but instead you gave me the truth which is what I value most about you, now then care to explain to me why you have a missing nin and his apprentice with you?" the Hokage said some of his kind smile returning, and Kakashi look relieved

"After Naruto was hit he told me as his last words to take Haku and Zabuza back to Konoha to become Nin as his final wish, I happen to agree with him, Zabuza has changed since the bridge, and his loyal to thoughts who gain his trust and thoughts who trust him, Haku on the other hand is the last of her clan whose Bloodline is the ability to control Ice, and is easily high Chunin or low Jonin level of power, and I vogue for them and I know they will help to Fulfill Naruto's last wishes" Kakashi explained as he looked at the Hokage who seemed to brighten up a bit knowing that his adopted grandsons lasts words were that of Honor

"So you're the young lady my Adopted grandson gave his life for, I can see just by looking into your eyes that you have a heart of gold and that he made the right decision which makes me more proud of him than any of you will know, I with my official powers as Hokage of Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves welcome you two into our ranks as Shinobi of Konoha" announced the Hokage gaining happy looks from everyone apart from Sakura who was fuming inside that Naruto's last wish would be honored, then it was Kakashi turn to speak

"Sakura, go home and rest from because of this mission and the loss of Naruto, I will see you tomorrow at 8.00 on the bridge" Kakashi said giving her a fake eye-smile which fool Sakura but no-one else as she left to go home, as soon as she left Zabuza placed up a silencing barrier and turn to the Hokage who was now curious

"Lord Hokage while on the bridge, the four of us heard something on the wind which only we heard because of our improved senses, the voice of dark and full of evil, evil which made Orochimaru look like a house kitten, it was dark and seemed to know we where listening just to annoy us, it said very cryptically 'Death is only the beginning'" Kakashi explained gaining a nod from everyone

"I believe Sakura did hear it for two reasons, the first is she is weaker than a piece of tissue paper and the second I believe she hates Naruto like most of the village does, I believe I heard it louder because we think of each other as brothers" Sasuke said gaining an intrigued look from the Hokage before he placed his hand to his face and started thinking, after thinking for several minutes in total silenced he decided to do two things

"Sasuke, Haku and Zabuza what im about to tell you is two triple S – class village secrets and mustn't be told to anyone under pain of death, do you three understand?" the Third said, Kakashi thinking he knew where this was going

"The first thing I want to tell you is that Naruto's life is miserable for a reason, a reason that only the older generation, and himself know about, you see 12 years ago a powerful Demon-lord know as the Nine tailed fox attack our village, our village leader the Fourth Hokage and Naruto's father sealed the beast into his body at the cost of his own life turning him into a Jinchūriki, the stupid fools on the council and in the village only saw Naruto as the incarnation of the demon so I made a law forbidding the older generation telling any younger ones about it" the Hokage started before being interrupted by a fuming Kakashi who didn't know about Naruto being his Sensei Son

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NARUTO IS MINATO SENSEI'S SON!" he yelled at the Hokage making the old man jump before repositioning himself

"Kakashi, Minato had many enemies if I told any one it might have slipped out and we would be at war with Iwa again, im sorry Kakashi, I properly should of told you when you where made his Genin Sensei, for that I am sorry" The Hokage said which seemed to make Kakashi calm down a fair bit

"Now that you all know Naruto's prisoner have your views changed about him?" the Hokage said earning powerful shaking heads for the three in front of him which made him smile

"The second is an old secret, in the continent north of us called Northrend a powerful Necromancer and warrior called the Lich King lived, he was a spirit bound to a suit of Armor, and he took an apprentice all Arthus Menethil who was is the current prince to a kingdom of the north, the Lich King Corrupted Arthus turning him into his new host allowing him freedom and in return Arthus became powerful and as the dominate spirit, the Lich King rules over a huge faction known only as the Scourge, I believe it was his voice you heard, it might either be because Naruto is severally injured but still managed to kill him or he's taken the Fox out of Naruto and is planning on using it, but it could have just been another demon speaking so I cant say" the Hokage said gaining shocked faces from everyone around him

"This Lich King is he powerful?" Kakashi asked

"More powerful than you will ever know, if he decided to attack the whole of Azeroth would be destroyed and under his rein, his army is practically invincible what better army to have than the undead" The Hokage said and aura of shock covered the group

Icecrown Citadel

When Naruto awoke he was covered in furs and laying on furs in a room made of ice but strangle he wasn't cold, the room was bare apart from himself and next to him was some black armor he had seen the made who rescued him in, after getting out of his Jumpsuit on the Fox's ordered and into the armor he realized that it fitted him perfectly and there was an empty scabbard at his side

When he left the icy room he noticed he door guards where corpses, the flesh hanging out of them and only not rotting because it was freezing in the palace and outside, as he made his way down the dark halls he bumped into a huge skeleton like creature his what seemed to be a frosty aura coming from around its neck, like the made who had saved him, the Lich seeing he was awake gave a sort of smile before speaking in a deep undead voice

"_**Greetings young Death Knight, I am Kel'Thuzad. Second in command of the Scourge and a friend of the masters, the master told me that when you have awaken you are to be taken to him to see if you are Worthy in becoming his Heir and the next in line to be the Lich King"**_ the Lich Known as Kel'Thuzad said with a quite literally toothy grin

As together they walked down the halls of the place which was filled with undead and other abominations of life which made Naruto smile to the core finally feeling at home because of his life of torment Naruto hated most people in the village except a very few who had gained his trust like Hinata, Sasuke and Konohamaru, here he would become powerful and soon will be able to take the mantel of the Lich King which the Fox wanted him to do

After about five minutes of walking they finally reached the top of the glacier that the fortress was built around, at the top sitting on a throne of ice sat the man who had rescued him; The Lich King, as they approached him Kel'Thuzad bowed before him while Naruto kneeled with a true smile on his face as the Lich King got off his throne and walked down slowly towards Naruto and Kel'Thuzad a smile clearly in view even behind his helmet

"_**You have impressed me boy, you hold a power I haven't seen in years, a power which if properly used a rectified will bring the Scourge Victory and you the Mantel of the Dark Lord of the Dead, to become my Heir and the New Lich King, if accept we shall begin your Death knight training immediately, I will teach you everything a Death knight need and Kel'Thuzad will teach you how to command troops and explain a list of our allies and enemies, so what is your answer young Death knight"**_ The Lich King asked the boy who would succeed him in due time and make the whole of Azeroth part of the scourge

"I accept my Lord, I will become your heir and a Death Knight, I swear my service to you" Naruto said greatly pleasing the Lich King

"_**Good my Apprentice, we shall begin your training now, go with Kel'Thuzad down to the Runeforge and create your own powerful Runeblade then we will begin the death knight part of your training" **_the Lich King announced to his newest servant who bowed and went away with the powerful lich to start his new destiny as the Lord of the Dammed __


	3. The Training Begins and the Funeral

Icecrown Citadel 

It had been a few days since Naruto's arrival at Icecrown and during his time there he had created his first Runeblade, it was similar to Frostmourne in design but also had similarities with that of the knights of the Ebon blade Runeblades, Kel'Thuzad was impressed with the power that the Runeblade contained, while of course is was no match for Frostmourne but would still hold itself up to nearly any other blade it came in contact against, he even suspected it could hold itself against the Ashbringer which would normal turn any evil being or item to ash

As Naruto finished his blade and held it in his hand he was proud at what he had created, the perfect blade for a death knight other than Frostmourne, it was perfectly balanced for him and its edge would serve him well, Kel'Thuzad inspecting the blade gave a creepy, ironically bone chilling smile

"_**An excellent piece of craftsmanship, a blade worthy to rival Frostmourne and hold its own against the forces of the light, now that your**__** weapon has been created its time for your training as a Death Knight like my Master before you. Come young Death Knight"**_ Kel'Thuzad said in his deep unholy voice which seemed to echo around the halls of Icecrown

"As you wish my Master, let us see what our lord has in plan for me" Naruto said as he started following Kel'Thuzad though the halls of the Citadel and up the glacier which was the Frozen Throne, as they reached the top of the Glacier and saw the Lich King sitting upon his icy mantel of power, they knelt before him and waited for him to rise and address them

"_**Ah, my newest Dark **__**Hero has arrived"**_ the Lich King began getting off his throne walking towards Naruto and Kel'Thuzad _**"I see that you have created your Runeblade. Good this will help you cutting down our enemies in the name of the Scourge, now it is time to begin your training, Head to Naxxramas with Kel'Thuzad and join the Death Knight recruits there, once there I shall arrive and take over your training personal once you have learned the basics of wielding a blade, Go young Death Knight"**_ The Lich King said as Naruto nodded his head as the Lich King signalled for him to go and prepare for leaving to the Necropolis, once Naruto left and was out of sight and earshot the Lich King turned to Kel'Thuzad

"_**Is he ready to achieve his dark purpose? We must hurry the Argent Crusade and the Knights of the Ebon blade gain more ground with each passing day, he must be ready to take my mantel and lead the Scourge into a new era"**_ the Lich King said to his second in command, the great Lich grave a bone smiled to his master

"_**My Lord he will be ready soon and will be able to achieve the his purpose before it is two late, when he becomes the Lich King his power will lead the Scourge into a new e**__**ra I am certain, soon all of Azeroth will fall to our might, and not even **__**Tirion Fordring will be able to stop him"**_ Kel'Thuzad said to his king making the Lich King smile, a smile which would foretell the end of this world and the beginning of a new one

Naxxramas 

When Naruto arrived at Naxxramas he was wearing his standard Death Knight Amour, walking though its stone halls filled with undead felt like home to Naruto just like Icecrown did. Next to him was Kel'Thuzad who was seeing to servants within his Necropolis, once they reached a large chamber full of Kneeling pre-teens Naruto took his place at the end of the row at the back while Kel'Thuzad went to the front to address all the recruits and Naruto

"_**Welcome young Death Knights, today we begin your training in the service of our lord the Lich King, some of you will not survive the trails ahead and others of you are destined for greatness, the Lich King has entrusted me with your training, I only have one bit of advice before we begin; Your curiosity will be the death of you"**_ Kel'Thuzad said as he laughed none of the dead knight recruits did a thing not even move or swayed with fear at the power of the lich in front of him

"_**Good, let us begin. Each of you get with a partner now and draw your Runeblade, you are to spar with said Partner until the other is unconscious, disarmed or dead"**_ The Lich announced, everyone getting with a partner as fast as they could

Naruto as paired with what seemed to be the biggest and strongest person their, an Orc with muscles easily seen underneath the amour he was wearing, he was holding a standard Runeblade that all recruits made before their training, it looked well crafted but was nothing compared to Naruto's Runeblade which he has dubbed Frostshadow, as they squared each other off waiting for Kel'Thuzad's order to begin Naruto noticed in the eyes of the Orc was the emotion of pride that he had seen in Sasuke so often, he was going to enjoy pounding it out of him

"_**Begin!"**_ the Lich shouted, momentarily Naruto readied himself for the Orc's attack, as it charged closer to him Naruto raised his blade to intersect it and smashed it down onto the Orc's blade shattering it into thousands of pieces which flew into the Orc's body badly wounding him sending him back a meter or two, this had happened in a span of less than 10 seconds and the class was completely shocked at the Power Naruto showed, the class was brought out of its shock when clapping of leather and metal was heard from the doorway making everyone turn to see who it was

"_**Well done Naruto, you impress me more and more each day, it seems the basics of a blade come naturally to you, this is good, it seems that I will be taking over your training quicker than I expected, Come my Heir and I will teach you what the Original Lich King taught me"**_ The Lich King said from the doorway, Frostmourne at his side, the recruits looked on both in awe and terror

Down in another Hall of Naxxramas the Lich King stood before Naruto inspecting him and judging his current level of power, which he knew was far higher than anyone his age, while he did this Naruto stood in Silence looking at his teacher and master with a dark smile

"_**As it seems you know how to handle a blade naturally, far more natural than anyone who has never really used a blade before, now I shall will teach you how to use the four aspects of a Death Knight like how I learned them; Frost, Blood, Unholy and Necromancy, with those four aspects learned you will train out in the world gather information and experience until ready to take on the Mantel of the Lich King, Let us begin"**_ The Lich King said his deep booming supernatural voice echoing though the halls of Naxxramas, to this Naruto only had one response

"Yes my Master" what the Lich King didn't know Naruto had been having the fox teach him how to use a blade since he had started forging his Runeblade, also after the Lich King had taught him different powers and moves he could train in them and perfect them with the fox until he had mastered them to the fullest degree

Konoha

The Death of Naruto had finally reached the ears of the Rookie Nine; each of its members had a different reaction to the death of their childhood friend and fellow Shinobi of Konoha, while only two of them knew that Naruto still might be alive but with a being of untold power and evil whose location they don't even know, this inspired Sasuke to train to his hardest so he could go out and find Naruto to bring him back home (Ironic huh)

Today was the day of Naruto's funeral, were they would be burying a empty coffin for their fallen comrade whose body was never found, while those who were Naruto's friends were sad the rest of village was preparing for a celebration that the demon fox that had haunted them for so long was finally dead, Sarutobi knew that he could not keep the council from revealing Naruto's secret for much longer

It was a horrible rainy day as the Rookie Nine, their Sensei's, Zabuza, Haku, Iruka and Sarutobi along with his grandson and his friends stood their in suits and umbrella's as the empty coffin laid out in front of them reminded them that the life of a Shinobi was always a dangerous and difficult one

"Today we remember Naruto Uzumaki, who gave his life to rescue people who he though deserved another chance from being killed, may he stay in our memory and may his light personality be an inspiration to us all" The Third Hokage said tears clearly in his eyes as he was silently weeping for the boy he considered family

Next to him Konohamaru looked like he had lost the will to live, the person who he though as his rival and older brother was now dead, and the first person to ever treat him as himself not the "Honorable Grandson" everyone else called him, on his head he was wearing Naruto's original goggles that the Third had given him so he could remember the young blond boy, Konohamaru was both Honored and devastated at such a gift, honored that his grandfather had given him something to remember the blond by and devastated that Naruto was indeed dead

Out of all the people who knew Naruto well the only person who was not there was Sakura who said that she didn't want to go to that losers funeral and that Sasuke who was better than Naruto shouldn't either, those words had struck the Rookie nine to the core, all of them no longer considered Sakura a comrade, rather a lifeform lower than trash as Kakashi put it

As this went though their minds Iruka stepped out of the crowd and to the empty coffin placing a white rose onto the coffin, his face showing no emotion, but to those who knew him tell they could tell it was like the time he had lost his parents during the nine tailed fox attack

"Naruto I shall truly miss you, I hope wherever you are now you are happy and will always think of me and the others" he said, after his small speech the rest of the guests started placed their roses onto the coffin and it was lowered into the ground to signify the dead of their friend

As this happened one member of the Rookie nine looked like her life had just ended completely on that day, Hinata looked like she hadn't slept since she discovered about Naruto's death she also had red eyes that could challenge the nine tailed foxes in a rating of colour, out of everyone she seemed to be taking it the hardest, everyone present at the funeral knew the shy girl loved Naruto with all her heart so tried their best to make her happy

During all of this Shikamaru was completely awake, he owed it to Naruto to pay full attention to this, during this he noticed that Sasuke, Kakashi, Haku and Zabuza's faces all showed hope on it and knowing of some secret knowledge, it was also present on the Hokage's face, after the funeral Shikamaru followed the Hokage to his office, once the third had sat down their was a knock on his door

"Come in" the third announced as Shikamaru entered the office with a look of complete seriousness which Sarutobi noticed instantly

"What can I do for you Shikamaru?" the aged Hokage asked as Shikamaru took a seat and looked straight into the Hokage eyes

"There is something you're not telling us about Naruto's death, Kakashi Sensei, Sasuke, Haku and Zabuza all seem to know as do you, I want to be told as well, I'm smart enough to know when I'm being lied to and Naruto was my friend so I would like some answers" he said the Hokage looking at him seriously before nodding

"Before I begin this is a triple S-class secret, that only five people know, luckily my walls and door are permanently soundproof so no one else will hear this, its true we may believe Naruto is alive but, we cant go after him for three reasons, we don't know where he is, we don't know if we is still even alive and if he is, he is with someone of immeasurable power known as the Lich King, for these reasons we cant send Shinobi after Naruto, also because the council would never allow it, this is why I have announced he's dead because that is the mostly likely scenario, now that you know this I would like you to do an old man a favor?" the Hokage said with voice sounded kind like it normal did

As this Shikamaru cocked his head, the Hokage who was also known as the Professor and the God of the Shinobi was asking him for help

"I would like you to try and help my Grandson Konohamaru and Hinata to deal with Naruto's death, they have taken it harder than anyone else, you can also have Haku to help you with this because she is joining team seven as Naruto's replacement which I think is suitable she is also one of the kindest souls I've ever known, I believe wherever Naruto is now he would deeply appreciate it" the third said to which Shikamaru nodded too

Naxxramas – three months later 

Thanks to the Foxes help Naruto had mastered everything the Lich King had intended to teach him in under three months which made the Lich King highly impressed and Kel'Thuzad speechless, while Naruto was still not as strong as the current lich king, by the time he had reached the age of the current one though he would be a force of darkness to be reckoned with

"_**You have done well Young Death Knight, taking only three months to learn Basics and most of the more advanced spell and moves is impressive, it seems now that I need to send you on a task for the good of the Scourge, it just so happens I have a task ready for you now"**_ The Lich King said to his apprentice who looked very eager to prove himself to his Master

"What do you wish my Master? What does the Lich King require?" Naruto said looking up at his master's face with a shadowy smile

"_**I want you to enter the Chunin Exams at your Homeland, at your home village you have told me about and discover any information about possible powerful recruits we could have, also if there is anyway to increase the number of bodies we can use for the scourge use your abilities to summon Kel'Thuzad to you and he will prepare the bodies to be taken here and raised as the undead, but before you go I have a gift for you"**_ the Lich King announced getting an excited looked from Naruto, slowly the Lich King drew Frostmourne and handed it to Naruto who with some Hesitation took it feeling the Power of the Dark Runeblade course though him, in his mind the Lich king spoke

'_**Think of this as a taste of what is to come, also though this blade I will be able to keep in contact with you until it is time for your ascent to my Dark throne'**_ the Voice of the Lich King replied as Naruto bowed and raised his Death knights hood which covered all of his face in shadow and left to prepare a team to leave for the Chunin exams in Konoha


	4. The Begining of the End, The Exams Begin

Hello everyone its Neverswinter, I'm extremely sorry about the late update, but in currently studying for A – levels which was taking up a lot of my time, I hope you enjoy the next chapter of my story and for those who also like the 'Vizards Nobori', I will be started to write the new version of it soon, but one last thing for people who like my stories, I have a new story coming out soon, it is going to be an attempt to learn how to write longer chapters and stories, anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter

* * *

**The Gates of Konoha, Three weeks later**

An eerie supernatural fog covered the gates of the Village hidden in the leaves as three Death Knights walked down the road towards the guards on station there, all of them wearing the same type of gear, the normal Death Knight armour (think the starting amour from WoW but has plate legs instead of a robe) which shrouded their identities in shadow and mystery

Approaching the gates though the fog gave them all a darker presences about them, as they reached the gates the guards there were on full alert in case they where enemies of the village and worked for someone like Orochimaru, unfortunate for them they all served someone far greater in both power and evil, once they reached the two guards the tallest of the two was slowly reaching for his weapon

"State your intentions in Konoha, and if you have any documents hand them over to be checked" the Chunin said as Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll and threw it at the guard that had just spoken allowing him to read what was on the paper before nodding and handing back to Naruto

"Okay everything seems to be in order, Welcome to Konoha and good luck in the exams" the Chunin said relaxing considerably and giving them a nervous grin, all Naruto did was give them a small nod as him and his team walked into Konoha casually looking forward to the task the Lich King had set ahead for them

Once into the city Naruto's teammates followed him in silence, as they turned into a darkened alley, he stopped before facing his teammates and removed his hood as did they

"Remember our job, we are to collect bodies for the Lich King if possible and we are to also scout out any possible recruits for the Cult of the Dammed or for possible Death Knights, Kagash, and Alessia; I want you both to refer to me as Nex during our stay in Konoha and keep your identities secret, now go out and start searching for possible members an inform me of any I shall be scanning out the village for possible threats, you have your orders now go" Naruto said darkly as they all put up there hoods again and left the alleyway to continue with their mission

* * *

**With Hinata and her friends **

Hinata was not having a good time since Naruto's death, she had been more alone than ever, her Sensei and teammates tried to cheer her up but so far weren't doing so well at it, although she did find a few friends that would always stay with her to make her feel better; Shikamaru and Haku both were always with her, if one wasn't the other was, together they had agreed to help Konohamaru and Hinata cope with the young blondes death, at the moment all four of them were together on their way to the ramen stand which Naruto love so much

As they approached Ayame spotted them approaching she started waving to them with a smile, already at the table was a hooded figure wearing black, it was noticeable to the four of them that Ayame seemed nervous around him, seeing Ayame's reaction he also turned to see who it was, much to their surprise the hooded figure's face was completely disguised by shadow, other than his eyes which were just visible as a cold blue, which sent shivers up their spines, after seeing them he just went back to eating his food as the group reached him

"Hello guys, how are you? I was just talking with the stranger here, he's here for the Chunin exams being held soon" Ayame said gesturing to the teen eating his Ramen quietly

Said stranger noticing that more people had arrived nodded towards them in greeting but kept himself quite while continuing to eat his Ramen, after that the group decided to sit down at the Ramen bar to get something to eat, Hinata didn't know why but decided to sit next to the mysterious Stanger who hadn't said a word since their arrival.

After a few minutes of the group happily talking among themselves Hinata decided to try and talk to the mysterious stranger sitting next to her

"Um… h-hello im Hinata h-hyuga what's y-your name?" she asked with her usual stutter, hearing her the stranger looked over to her, his face still covered by shadow, he then spoke with a voice which made Haku and Shikamaru tense up dramatically, the only reason Hinata and Konohamaru did tense up as they did was because there grief was clouding them minds

"Greetings lady Hyuga, I am Nex. I am here for the Chunin exams being held tomorrow, I expect your teachers have already informed you about this?" Nex said in his ice cold voice

"Y-yes Kurenai sensei, t-told us a-about the e-exams yesterday, she s-said they a-are dangerous b-but a g-good experience" Hinata said smiling a bit, she hoped the exams would take her mind of the young blondes demise

"Your teacher had much wisdom, even if you don't pass the examination but information collected from the experience will help you greatly, now tell me of your companions, are they also entering the exams" Nex asked turning his shadowed gaze over towards Shikamaru and Haku, both of them had slightly narrowed eyes at the stranger, they didn't know what but this guy just seemed to ... unnatural

"Yes, we are entering the exams. Well all of us apart from Konohamaru who is still in the academy" Haku answered not taking her eyes off of Nex's Ice blue ones

"Yea, it's rather troublesome to have to do these exams but Ino would kill me if I tried not to take part" Shikamaru sighed before looking at Konohamaru, all of them had the exam to occupy their minds whilst Konohamaru didn't have anything, but before he could speak Nex beat him to it

"What's wrong boy, you act like someone has died?" Nex said apparently not realising what he said was upsetting the two as the young boy turned to him looking both angry and depressed

"That's because the first person to ever accept me for who I am, not who I am related to died three months ago" he said glaring at the hood teen, as Nex gave a laugh which sounded as icy as his eyes

"There is fire within you boy, but why wallow in the pity of death. If you wallow in that pity then you will never become stronger, never mourn those who have died but take up their blades and honour and fight their honour as well as your own, that way even in death their spirit knows the thrill of battle and can rest easy knowing that they are defending you and you are defending them" Nex explained the young boy listening to him carefully, Haku and Shikamaru were also watching the two carefully to see how Konohamaru would react

"You know what you're right, I'm going to get stronger so that I can fight in the battles Naruto – nii never will be able to fight in" he said with a large grin "thank you Nex for opening my eye" before taking in a large breath and running off to find his friends and train

"Thank you for doing that, he's been depressed for weeks" Haku said smiling slightly at the hooded teen

Nex didn't reply as he heard a screeching voice coming from behind him as he turned around slowly to see a pink haired girl, who was most defiantly Sakura

"Haku you bitch were is Sasuke, I've been looking for him everywhere, and I can't find him" she screeched, spit flying everywhere as she looked angrily at the young brunette

"Probably hiding from you..." Haku said under her breath loud enough for Hinata and Shikamaru to heard making them both laugh, sadly Sakura also heard as she decided to let all hell fly loose

"What did you say you whore, why didn't you go and die with the idiot Naruto and leave Sasuke with a beautiful woman like me, after all you belong in the gutter with your legs open" she screeched, what she said had also greatly upset Haku, Shikamaru was about to yell back before he was beaten by an un-stuttering Hinata

"And why don't you go peddle yourself down the bottom end of Konoha's industrial estate and see if you can get in with Orochimaru because he is the only person who would possible love you, you self centred, spoiled little brat, you give woman a bad name just by the way you act, now fuck off" she screamed at Sakura with tears in her eyes, looking very red and even more upset than Haku was

"Why you little..." Sakura started bringing her fist back in order to punch Hinata in the nose but just before she threw her fist, she saw a flash of blue and black before her, in front of her was a hooded figure with icy blue eyes, his aura black as black as the night and as cold as a midwinter's eve, he was moderate in height and held himself as a true warrior would before he spoke with an even icier tone than the one he was using before

"You are irritating; begone from my presence before I feed you to Frostmourne you worm, you are the most pathetic person I have seen since my entry into this village, like Lady Hyuga said, get away from here. Now!" Nex said in front of her as she nodded and fled from the hooded boy "I apologise for my actions, but I must leave for now, I have to prepare for the exam tomorrow" he finished bowing before them, before he left he reached into his gear and pulled out a small leather bag and threw it at Ayame who was still standing there in shock at what had just happened, surprised she caught it and opened it to discover it was full with about 50 gold coins, shocked she looked to the stranger

"I like the food, here and I think it deserves more than a tiny shack" he explained before leaving towards his accommodation for the evening

* * *

**The Chunin Exam day **

Sasuke was feeling irritated, why you might ask is the so called genius feeling annoyed at this current moment, the explanation is simple; Sakura. At the moment instead of concentrating on the exams was currently annoying him to no end with constant asking for dates, he was slowing getting to the point where he was going to take out a Kunai and kill himself with it. He glanced over to Haku who was currently glaring daggers at the oblivious girl, now if looks could kills Sakura would currently be frozen in a block of ice which would never melt even if it was in the sun.

His mind was also occupied on some other things which had happened earlier in the week, first was saving Konohamaru from a strange sand Genin called Gaara who had promised to 'Feed him to mother' as enjoyable as that sounded he decided he would keep a very close eye on the Genin, next was about a mysterious Genin called Nex, who according to Haku was 'even icier than her ice'. And lastly there was Rock Lee a genin from team Gai who he ran into before the start of the exam, he challenged him to a fight which he lost to lee badly, but to him it showed him he still wasn't ready to fight Itachi and was another excuse to train stronger and pass these exams.

Just as he was about to shout at Sakura to shut up he noticed that Kakashi Sensei was in front of them by the door reading his little orange book, he alerted the other two to Kakashi presence as they walked over to him

"Ah, I see your all here, that's good. If one of you decided not to turn up the others would not have been able to participate in the exams" he stated much to the shock of the three

"But if you knew that why did you give us the choice to enter the exams or not?" Sakura said knowing that she was heavily debating whether or not to come to the exams

"Because it means you yourself chose to come to the exams and were not pressured into coming to the exams by your team-mates" Kakashi said eye smiling "anyway good luck in the exams, and hopefully you will all become Chunin" he finished watching them go through the doors to the exam

Once they entered they truly knew what they were up against, everyone in the exams was staring at them in silence, as if trying to eye them up and intimidate them, Haku felt some cold sweat fall down the back of her neck seeing all of these people watching her, she felt a bit intimidated, well until she heard the scream of "SASUKE!". She turned around to see Ino jumping at Sasuke and attaching herself to him

"Get off him Ino pig!" Sakura shouted, in response Ino only stuck out her tongue at Sakura, they were about to start fighting until they heard another familiar voice

"So I see you guys have also been dragged into this exam, how troublesome" Shikamaru sighed as Choji chuckled at his friend with a mouth full of chips, as the rest of the rookies appeared

"So Sasuke do you think you're going to pass this exam, I've been training really hard with Kurenai sensei getting ready for the exams" Kiba said with an arrogant grin of his face, next to him was Hinata who looked nervous about Kiba's proclamation, Sasuke was about to answer when they heard a voice from behind them

"I'd quieten down if I were you" a young boy with glasses said coming up behind them

"Yeah and why should I do..." Kiba began but was interrupted by the door being smashed open with three figures walking inside, the first was a large boy his face was covered by a hood, and he was wearing black armour with a giant western broadsword on his back he seemed to of been the one who opened the door. Next was a fairly short girl, she had blonde hair from what people could tell as some of it was coming out of her hood which was as with the other covering her face, on her back was a staff of some kind, her gear was also different from the other two, it seemed lighter and more robe like than plate-mail.

But the one in the centre was most intimidating of all, he was shorter than the other two but seemed to make it up with his presence, he was dressed allot like the first boy, but his sword was that of a bastard sword hanging at his waist, most of it though was covered up with is cloak but the hilt was particularly creepy with a dragons skull on the end, other than that no-one could tell anything about him. As soon as Haku and Shikamaru saw him they knew exactly who he was; Nex, Sakura on the other hand was as pale as a sheet and was trembling, this boy creped her out to no end, Hinata on the other hand smiled and gave a small wave to the mysterious boy, who turned to her and nodded before going further into the room and taking a seat.

"Who the hell are those guys" Kiba exclaimed eyeing them up as potential opponents, the rest of the Genin in the room were staring at them. But to the three strangers they sat there in absolute silence watching the crowd in front of them.

"All I know they follow the short one in the middle, I believe his name was Nex" said the boy with the glasses, before remembering he hadn't introduced himself

"Ah, where are my manors, my name is Kabuto Yakushi" he said giving a small smile

"So Kabuto is this your first time in the exams?" Shikamaru asked eyeing up the Genin

"No this is my seventh, the exam is held every six months and this is my seventh attempt at it" he stated shocking the group "although from theses' failures it has allowed me to collect a lot of useful information about people participating in the exams" he then said taking out a pack of cards from his pocket and presenting them to the group.

"It's just a deck of cards" Kiba deadpanned looking at the older boy

"Ah yes but if you add chakra to them, then they reveal the information you require" Kabuto explained to the rookies "anyone want to know anything about anyone?" he asked intrigued if anyone wanted to know anything

The rookies were silent among themselves until Sasuke decided to speak looking a Kabuto calmly

"What information do you have on Gaara of the Sand, Rock Lee and Nex?" he asked determined to win in this exam

"Ahh man you know their names no fun, but okay here they are" he said pulling out three cards and showing them the first with a picture of Gaara on the front "Gaara of the sand, his teammates are Temari and Kankuro, he has completed a few D and C ranks and…. Ohhh…. And even a few B rank missions, the scariest thing about this is though he has returned from each of these missions without even a scratch, his abilities have something to do with sand but other than that it seems to be unknown" he said surprise evident on his face, Sasuke looked over to Gaara with narrowed eyes wondering how it was possible that he could do his missions without a single scratch

"Next up is Rock Lee; his teammates are Neji Hyuuga and Tenten Tenshi, he has completed a lot of D and C rank missions, his skills are puzzling, he seems to have no skill in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, but is a taijutsu specialist like the rest of his team, Ohhh… and it appears he was also the dead last of the year previous" shock quite evident in his voice, this made Sasuke eyes widen like plates, it also widen the eyes of Haku and Sakura who though Lee was a gifted genius like Sasuke, it was a real shocker to them that he was in the same position as Naruto

"W-what, he was dead last like Naruto was…." Sasuke stated slowly still shocked at what he had learned only moments ago, Kabuto kept quiet for a few moments watching the young Uchiha closely before continuing with the last card

"And lastly Nex…." Kabuto started, this was not only on Sasuke mind but everyone who was in earshot of Kabuto was carefully listening to the information on the dark mysterious Genin, when he showed them the card they were all surprised as it was completely blank "I have absolutely no information about him, he is a complete mystery as far as I can tell, but the one thing I can tell you is armour like that doesn't come from anywhere in the elemental nations" he stated looking at next himself only for him to shiver slightly at the piercing blue eyes which seemed to stare into his soul

The other Genin looked over to Nex and his team, each with different thoughts about who they were, none of them even close to the truth

"So Kabuto which of the other villages are participating in the exams this year?" Sakura asked curious as the only other foreign Nin happened to be a half crazy Jonin and his bitch of a sidekick, which at the thought of decided to give Haku a cold glare to which the brown haired girl simply returned

"Ah, there are many different villages participating this year, of course the Konoha is taking part, there are a few Shinobi from other places like Suna, Ame, Kusa and Taki, there is also a group from a new village called Otogakure, but I wouldn't pay much attention to them they are problem being sent so the village will gain some new stature among the other nations" Kabuto explained before a three flashes of colour appeared in front of the Genin along with a fist aimed at Kabuto's face before it stopped revealing the three sound Genin, Kabuto was about to smile before his glasses broke and he fell to the floor spilling his stomach contains

"Listen here, the Shinobi from Oto will all pass this exam and make it to Chunin, remember that next time you try to run your mouth" stated the wrapped up Genin who looked a lot like a mummy.

Just before Kiba could do anything there were three large explosions of smoke to reveal a group of Jonin and Chunin, the one in the center commanded nearly as such of a presence of fear as Nex did, he had two scars on his face and looked like he could read your thoughts by just looking into your eyes, the one in the center looked over to the almost fighting Genin and spoke

"No fighting unless I permit it or you will fail the exam right now, I am Ibiki Morino and I will be your proctor for the first exam, welcome to hell kiddies" he said giving a sadistic grin "now everyone take your Seats and I will begin the exam"

As everyone took their seats Hinata noticed she was seated next to the mysterious Genin she met yesterday; Nex, she didn't know why but instead of feeling intimidated by him, he felt curiously familiar to her, but she could just not place her finger on it, Nex though didn't really seem to have noticed her but looked forward his cold blue eyes still the only thing visible from the shadow of his hood, it was like they seemed to have an unnatural glow to them.

With Nex though he was split upon two emotions, calm and panic, as crazy as it sounds was true, he was calm because he knew he could pass the part of the exam easily with his teammates as the runes on their weapons could allow Frostmourne to communicate telepathically with them, and he collect the answers from Alessia; a mage trained at Dalaran before joining the cult of the dammed, the test would be easy. The problem though was the fact someone next he knew was sitting very close to him and might accidently give away his identity to Konoha

"******Calm yourself child, be glad you can still feel emotions, as it is my Infinite magical supply that Frostmourne is feeding upon, good thing it replenishes itself quicker than it devours it. As long as you keep calm and level headed you won't be discovered, try to reveal as little of my powers as possible, that will prevent them detecting you from my magical energy, use the powers the Lich King has taught you, I believe they will be very useful in helping you avoid detection for now**" the fox stated, its council ringing in Naruto's mind, Naruto gave a mental nod looking up a Ibiki trying to ignore the girl who was staring at him puzzled

"okay the rules are simple for this test, you will have one hour to complete all ten questions, the tenth question will be given fifth teen minutes towards the end, every question you get right counts as one points and every question you get wrong takes one points away, if you are caught cheating two points will be taken away and if you are caught five times you fail the exam" Ibiki stated, some people looking relived others looking slightly nervous "Oh and did I forget to mention that if one member of a team fails then the entire team fails with them" he then stated grinning

Every team instantly paled knowing that they each had a short straw in their team which could mean that they would possible fail. However none were more nervous than team 7 who was silently curing the gods for this situation

"Let the first exam Begin" Ibiki announced. Not knowing what sequence of events had just started once he finished those words.

* * *

**Authors note**

Now then again im sorry for not updating for a while, as I've stated earlier I've been extremely busy and education takes priority over fiction sadly, but I hope to keep writing this story as people seem to enjoy it, and remember to be on the lookout for my new story which will be published soon after this chapter hopefully.


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